


Mind Over Matter

by face70



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Daemons, Gen, Hurt Prompto Argentum, Ignis done goofed, Whump, promnis if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22299859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/face70/pseuds/face70
Summary: Ignis and Prompto hold down the fort while Noct and Gladio are away. Perfect time for a demon hunt, right?Right.
Relationships: Prompto Argentum & Ignis Scientia
Comments: 12
Kudos: 85





	Mind Over Matter

It’d been a little over an hour since Noct and Gladio disappeared with the car. 

_ “Curatives. And Food,” Noct had supplied. _

_ “Ramen,” Gladio’d corrected. _

And that was that. Now it was just him and Iggy holding down the fort and watching the sun sink below the tree tops. 

And then came a soft sigh as Iggy ended the call. 

Prompto glanced over, fingers fidgeting with the one button on his camera that’d gone sticky after a particularly muddy hunt. 

“All good?” 

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose and Prompto set his camera in his lap. Despite the annoyance written all over his features, there was a flicker of concern in Iggy’s face.

“It would seem they’re having car trouble,” Ignis said, “They were towed to the nearest outpost, but they’ll be stranded there til morning.”

“Looks like you’re stuck with me. Sorry, buddy,” Prompto laughed with a half-smile.

“Anything in particular you’d like for dinner?” Ignis stood, his phone discarded on the chair behind him. Prompto watched him weave around the camp like he was itching for something to do. Probably wasn’t too keen on being away from Noct. 

“I’m not picky.”

“An attractive trait to be sure, but tonight you’re allowed to be if you like.”

Prompto stood too, camera left behind as he made way to the little ‘kitchen’ Ignis always set up at the havens. 

“I like everything you make,” Prompto shrugged, “What about you? Anything you’ve been dyin’ to try? Might be your only chance.”

Ignis hummed, eyes roaming the spread of pots and spices before him.

“A curry, perhaps?

“Sounds gre-”

In the distance, a rumble. Inhuman and a whisper on the wind as it blew through the trees.

Prompto cut himself short, eyes darting toward the woods. Ignis mirrored him.

“You heard it too?” Prompto asked.

“I did.” 

Prompto waved his hand and with a blue glimmer felt the familiar weight of his gun. A second flash and Ignis held his blades at the ready, eyes on the thicket before them.

“What say we investigate?”

“We say ‘hell yeah,’ let’s go!”

The edge of the haven was a steep but short fall, one they managed without complaint. There was still enough sunlight, but with night creeping in and under the heavy canopy of trees, they opted to let the flashlights pinned to their chests show the way.

“You think it’s like a daemon or something? Isn’t it kinda early for that?”

“I’m not sure. It would be rare, but not unheard of. Daemons have been active during waking hours given the right circumstances.”

“Like what?”

“Darkness, for one.”

“Like in the hollow? Or like- those mines?”

“Exactly.”

“And… like this forest, I guess.”

“We don’t know that yet,” Ignis answered as he ducked under a low-hanging branch, “But keep on your toes.”

Prompto ducked too, gun at the ready. No matter how many times they did this, it never got better. So - yeah, he definitely wasn’t as flighty or jumpy as that first time in the caves. It was just.. Daemons. Actual, real life daemons. Just made his skin itchy.

Not to mention they were missing two men.

Ignis stopped short and held up his hand, Prompto narrowly avoiding crashing into him.

“Hear it?”

Prompto listened hard.

There. To their right, a little ways off but not exactly distant. 

A guttural sound, like choking or gurgling. Inhuman for sure. 

Prompto held his breath, eyes flicking to Ignis briefly before turning back to try and peer through the dark. He could make it out - the outline of  _ something _ .

Something moving straight towards them.

“Iggy?” he whispered, “Instructions?”

“Just one,” Ignis bit, shoulders tense, “Don’t die.”

Chaos erupted, the shadow lunging for them with impossible speed and a piercing shriek. The light caught it, revealed twisted features and ragged lines too horrible to make out clearly. Prompto dove aside, firing like a well-aiming madman. 

Three solid shots, right to the thing’s… chest? Head? - body, whatever, but it looked like it hit and that was good enough for him!

Iggy was making progress. Prompto could see the shine of his blades cutting through. The sizzle of magic exploded through the sharp tip of the daggers and into their intended target.

Whatever this thing was, it was a weak one - a low level pain in the butt they’d laugh about over curry in probably no more than ten minutes.

Fears assuaged and confidence soaring, Prompto grinned and really let loose. 

He shot out a starshell, bathing the woods in light, and swapped out his pistol for that sweet, big ol’ sub-machine gun he’d begged Noct to stuff into the armiger. Sure, it was Magitek and it’d taken some convincing in the form of showing just how useful machine guns were for mowing down enemies, but they caved.

Which he was grateful for while stuffing this thing - daemon or whatever - full of bullets.

The nice thing about being ranged was avoiding a lot of scraps and cuts and puffs in the face of nastiness that a lot of baddies liked to shoot out.

The not so nice thing about it was having to watch all that happen to his friends.

The daemon dropped dead but not before blasting out a massive plume of purple-green colored smoke. Always a good sign, definitely nothing to worry about here.

At least until he saw Iggy stagger out of the cloud looking way too out of it for comfort.

Prompto dropped his gun, let it disappear back into the armiger, and sprinted over

“Iggy! Hey, man - you … man, that doesn’t look- you should probably sit down for a sec.” Gently attentive, Prompto hovered by his side, one hand on his shoulder the other on his arm trying to tug him to the ground to take a seat.

Ignis looked… stupefied, like Prompto’d spoken utter nonsense. Glassy eyes blinked at him unseeing, face slack and stone-like.

And then Ignis struck out.

Prompto staggered back, face pinched in pain as he looked down and curled his fingers around his arm.

Blood flowed, sticky against his palm. He pulled it back and studied the precise, expert cut numbly.

He heard movement and snapped his head toward Ignis so fast he almost got whiplash.

Ignis had eyes on him and weapons raised, the tip of one of them red with the hint of blood.

“Iggy… man, you gotta snap out of it,” Prompto said, voice catching in his throat. 

They’d seen this before. Wasn’t the first, wouldn’t be the last. But, thing was, usually they had backup. Three guys could pin down the one who went off the rails and then they all waited it out. Or they used a remedy which…

Which they were running low on - if not out of entirely. 

Maybe… Maybe Noct and Gladio made it that far before the car died on them?

Prompto tried to will one into existence, tugged on the armiger with a  _ C’mon, man, don’t fail me now. _

Okay.

Waiting it out it is, then.

Iggy was on him, getting closer. The guy wasn’t nearly as graceful as usual - one of those things about these curses or spells or effects or whatever - it was just kinda like being a puppet without any strings for a while. Funny sometimes, but - dangerous, too.

Like now.

Ignis came at him again and Prompto dodged with a side-roll that got a lot more dirt in his wound than he’d like. He heaved himself up, eyes on Ignis who was coming for him again, silhouetted by the starshell behind him.

He was fast, one blade whining as it whirred through the air closely followed by a second - both of them missing contact by millimeters. 

Prompto dove back, sidestepped, but Iggy was on him like glue, the blades falling on him like rain.

He got nicked again- and a third time, this one deeper. 

They were bleeding, all three wounds. That last one kind of a lot. 

This wasn’t gonna work. He had to- he didn’t want to, but maybe he could knock Iggy out? 

Prompto squared up, fists raised. Just do what Gladio taught him, right? Maybe a chokehold or something. Just be fast, be quick, and don’t hurt him too bad. Don’t hurt him period if he can help it.

Ignis came at him and Prompto sprung forth, shoulder first to try and go for his chest, knock the air out-

He hadn’t been expecting a fist to the face, but hell if he didn’t catch one.

Prompto fell back, dazed, the woods spinning and stars bursting in front of his eyes.

Iggy just punched him and- Six, did he break his nose?

No… no, but it was bleeding and it  _ hurt  _ and-

Another blow, a sucker punch and the world blacked out for a second. 

And then he kinda lost track of everything. Iggy rained down blows like he had a personal beef with Prompto’s existence. He fought back, he did - he didn’t wanna hurt Iggy, but this was getting - if he didn’t do anything there was the very real possibility Iggy’d hit something vital or-

Shit- another cut- 

“Ignis! Snap out-!”

Prompto hissed, fingers curling around the newest cut. 

Again- another- man, his arms were gonna look like ribbons- 

“Ig- Iggy-”

Another punch, two - the ol’ cross job and Prompto was flat on his back the next time he opened his eyes.

He blinked stupidly up at the canopy of leaves, green and black with tiny snips of starlight peeking through.

His face felt wet. So did his arms. He licked his lips and winced at the taste. Copper. And something else.

Prompto puffed out a breath when a weight fell on him, just at his pelvis. Maybe at any other time he’d blush.

Ignis straddled him, a knee on either side of his hips, hazel-green eyes staring down.

Prompto laid there, prone. He sniffed, a mistake if ever there was one, turned his head a little and spit out blood.

“C’m… c’mon, Iggy,” he muttered softly all too aware his words fell on deaf ears, “Don’t… do this.. to yourself.”

Because, when it was all said and done, Prompto knew. He  _ knew  _ what this would do to him. If it went further, if … this was curtains for Prompto, then- okay, yeah it sucked, but no big deal. He’d be peaced out.

But Iggy’d never forgive himself. He’d never hurt Prompto- or anyone, ever, who didn’t really deserve it. 

Prompto reached up, bloody fingers lightly snatching the bottom of Iggy’s shirt. Ignis slapped it away with such ferocity it bounced off the dirt.

Prompto looked up at him, mesmerized by how his face was a sort of distant swirl- how the black creeping in around the edge of his vision made Iggy’s sharp, fine features stand out like a beacon. 

Ignis blinked down at him, once- twice, like waking from a dream. His brows knit in confusion, eyes darting to and fro before falling down to Prompto’s face.

And then they grew wide in utter horror. So wide Prompto saw the whites of his eyes, the tiny pinprick of his pupils zeroing in and scanning every cut, every speck of blood dotted over every freckle. 

“It's- s’okay, Iggy,” he tried for a smile and failed. He coughed, blood on his lips, “Wasn't … it wasn't you.” 

Ignis dropped the blade. It shattered into blue and disappeared. 

“Prompto, what...?”

He had no need to ask. It wasn’t difficult to deduce.

A daemon had gotten the better of him. And Prompto’d suffered the consequences.

At  _ his  _ hands. 

He’d done… all this.

And what craftsmanship it was.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on, to absolutely no one’s surprise, a piece of art done by Kaciart.
> 
> This one’s been sitting in my WIPs for a while. Let the hugs and kisses and comfort commence! (And the angry Noct because wtf Iggy, for real?)


End file.
